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Friday, March 23, 2018

Plus The Magic welcomes guest writer Amy Swiss, along with contributer Zoe Swiss, with a review of FROZEN, The Broadway Musical. They recently had the opportunity to see the show during its preview run, and they're sharing a review with us. (This post contains spoilers for the production, so consider yourself warned...)

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Seeing a Broadway show is always an EVENT.

Even for someone raised in the New York City
area, heading into the theater district for dinner and a show carries a special
allure- a certain sense of excitement and glamour that is unmatched. The
lights, the glitz, the historic theaters and world-class performances - what
could possibly be better?

Your evening begins in the historic and
elegant St. James Theater, complete with crystal chandeliers, red velvet seats
and gilded walls.

Arriving to your seats, you find the stage
before you beautifully wrapped in a carved wood border imported straight from
Arendelle. As the curtains open, you are instantly transported into this
faraway land and into the childhood of our two favorite sisters. The mini
actresses who greet you set the first mood of the show: young Anna exudes
excitement, energy, and fun, while Elsa is more reserved, wanting to follow the
rules.The girls’ portrayal of sisterly
love and childhood innocence is profound and deeply impressive for such young
talents.

The unfolding storyline will not be a surprise
to most audience members- and yet, there are countless new elements in this
live production that will simply captivate. Stunning set pieces, original
songs, and entirely new scenes have been created for a seemingly all-new
experience. It goes without saying that the vocals and acting are top-notch,
and the show is at times funny, touching, and exciting. The breathtaking visual
effects - Disney’s forte- take the show to the next level.

As the story begins, the stage transforms from
one scene to the next into the many rooms and courtyards of Arendelle Castle,
with all its soaring windows, grand arches, and great halls. The stage seems to
stretch endlessly high to accommodate the huge rooms and windows, and the stone
walls magically expand, contract and glide across the stage to reconfigure the
rooms. The action moves seamlessly from the girls bedroom to the glowing,
candlelit ballroom, and then onto one of my favorite backdrops: the moonlit
castle garden, filled with lush purple flowers growing in vines along the
towering castle arches, as Anna and Hans fall in love.

As Elsa’s magic develops over the timeline of
the story, so too do the dramatic and beautiful visual effects that both
capture her magic and transform the stage from the warm and cozy castle into
the frozen world that Arendelle becomes. Lighting is used in unique and
spectacular ways to represent the icy flourishes of magical cold that Elsa
sends flying across the land.The
fierce, windy ice bridge stretched across the stage was truly a work of art- I
didn’t want that scene to end.

photo via frozenthemusical.com

Elsa is of course at her magical best in her
Ice Palace, both while she is creating it and when she is defending herself
against her foes. These effects are stunning. One of the most unique visual
effects of the show was in the final scene when Elsa’s magic moves across a
line of people, freezing them slowly in place until they seemingly form a small
iceberg.

Another masterful element of the show was the
creation of the non-human characters. Olaf, a fan favorite, is a puppet who is
brought to life by a wonderful puppeteer who actually adds a new dimension to
the character on stage. The trolls from the movie are presented as “Hidden
Folk” - human actors transformed into other-worldly beings. And finally, Sven,
the reindeer, was a beautiful creation with incredibly realistic movements and
personality - good luck taking your eyes off of him.

The show ends with a fun surprise...here’s a
hint:

If you're interested in capturing a piece of the magic, rest assured that
opportunities abound to bring home a Frozen souvenir. A classic Disney shopping
experience awaits in the lobby, with everything from high-end jewelry, stuffed
Olafs, and clothing, to themed drink cups and lollipops at the concession
stand...

It’s also worth mentioning that while the show
is a perfect choice for young children- and there were many in the audience-
my own two hard-to-impress older teenagers were also captivated. The show has broad
appeal.

As a natural skeptic, I had my doubts about
whether the show would feel completely fresh and alive, given that I already knew the story so well. After all, I’ve seen the movie countless times with my
children and heard the hit songs a gazillion times. I can confirm that this is
not a concern. The show is a must-do for Disney fans as well as anyone else
simply looking for a fantastic entertainment experience.

When Walt Disney wanted to get his team to go further, reach higher, make something great even a little bit better- he'd tell them to "plus it". Plussing it means giving more than what's expected, taking things a step further, and then a step further beyond that. It means providing those unexpected extras that make Disney unlike anyplace else. How does Disney "plus the magic"? And how can we plus the magic ourselves? Join in, share, and connect with us as we explore the magic...

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About KJ

KJ first visited WDW in 1977, and has been making her way back as often as possible ever since. Epcot is her favorite place to be! Her main areas of interest include Imagineering, design, dining, and park history. When not reading and writing about the magic, KJ loves plants, mysteries, science fiction, red wine, maps, and globes.